TAIPEI: In a terrifying incident, a giant cargo ship crashed into a crane at a Taiwanese port, sending it toppling down towards dock workers on Thursday.
According to the details, the incident took place when the 80,000-tonne cargo ship was preparing to dock at a port in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. The cargo ship hit the overhead crane as it turned in dangerously close to the port.
Container ship collision causes Crane to collapse at Kaoushing Port, Taiwan pic.twitter.com/yRKSRihwQM
— Odomankoma Maritime News (@OdomankomaNews) June 3, 2021
In a video that went viral on social media, the crane can be seen giving way and hitting another crane, both of which crash to the ground as the ship continues to push forward.
The cranes crashed into a stack of shipping containers as dock workers ran for their lives to avoid getting struck by them. A port worker was taken to the hospital after he received injuries in the accident, according to Taiwan News.
Two engineers who were in the crane at the time of the collapse were trapped inside. They were rescued from the wreckage using a 60-metre mast-type jib crane.
“The gantry crane (GC8) experienced complete collapse and, during its fall, severely damaged a second, adjacent gantry crane (GC6),” the Taiwan International Ports Corp. Ltd. said in a statement. It added that the site of the accident has been sealed off.
